Winter Weather

Even though it's winter outside, now is the perfect time to plan your landscaping. Whether it is installing a new landscape, freshening up an old landscape, or maintenance.

Things to do now are:
1.  Get a design
2.  Plan your project
3.  Select materials
4.  Get an estimate
5.  Begin installing hardscapes

Provo Residence Backyard Remodel

Water feature with pond.

Stone paver patio next to the pool.

The water feature with pond can be viewed from the pool area.

Rock wall border with rock steps in the timber garden box area.

How To Train Your Grass

DID YOU KNOW THAT OVER-WATERING YOUR LAWN WEAKENS IT? WATERING EVERY DAY CAUSES THE ROOT SYSTEM TO BE SHALLOW, THEN ONE OR TWO DAYS IN JULY OR AUGUST WITHOUT WATER AND YOUR LAWN SHOWS SIGNS OF BURNING. WATERING LESS FREQUENTLY WILL HELP YOUR LAWN ESTABLISH A DEEPER ROOT SYSTEM. ALLOWING THE SOIL TO BECOME DRYER WILL CAUSE THE ROOTS TO SEEK MOISTER AND COOLER SOIL DEEPER DOWN, BECOMING MORE DISEASE RESISTANT AND MAKING A HEALTHIER, STRONGER TURF SYSTEM.

1. PLACE A LAYER OF MULCH AROUND TREES, SHRUBS AND FLOWERBEDS. MULCH WILL SLOW EVAPORATION AND LOWER SOIL TEMPERATURE AND INHIBITS WEED GROWTH. BARK, PEAT MOSS, GRAVEL, EVEN GRASS CLIPPINGS CAN BE USED AS EFFECTIVE MULCHES, 3-5 INCHES DEEP. AVOID BLACK PLASTIC, WATER CANNOT PENETRATE IT.

2. ADJUST YOUR SPRINKLING SYSTEM TO THE PERIOD. DON’T SET IT IN APRIL, AND THEN FORGET ABOUT IT UNTIL November. CHECK AROUND YOUR YARD MONTHLY FOR LEAKS AND CLOGGED, BROKEN OR MALFUNCTIONING HEADS. TUNE UP YOUR SYSTEM REGULARY. A BROWN SPOT MAY INDICATE A SYSTEM PROBLEM.

3. WATER BROWN SPOTS BY HAND RATHER THAN INCREASING CYCLES.

4. WATER DURING THE COOLER HOURS TO REDUCE EVAPORATION.

5. AERATE LAWNS ANNUALLY TO INCREASE WATER PENETRATION TO THE ROOTS.

6. RAISE THE SETTING OF YOUR MOWER. 2 1/2” TO 4” IS THE RECOMMENDED HEIGHT. THIS WILL SHADE AND COOL THE SOIL TEMPERATURE. LEAVE A LAYER OF CLIPPINGS EVERY FEW CUTTINGS TO MULCH AND FEED THE LAWN. KEEP MOWER BLADES SHARP.

7. PLUNGE A SCREWDRIVER INTO YOUR LAWN TO TEST FOR PENETRATION DEPTH. THE SOIL SHOULD BE MOIST 8” DOWN. THE AVERAGE ROOT SYSTEM IN UTAH LAWN IS 5”-6”, YET THE TYPE OF GRASSES WE USE SHOULD HAVE A ROOT SYSTEM OF 8”-12” DEEP.

8. CHECK TO SEE IF YOU ARE OVER-WATERING YOUR LAWN. COLLECT SOME EMPTY CONTAINERS (4 WOULD BE BEST) AND USING A PERMANENT MARKER, MARK ½”, ¾” AND 1” MARKS INSIDE. SET OUT THE CONTAINERS IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS OF ONE SPRINKLING ZONE OR PATTERN. TIME HOW LONG IT TAKES TO FILL THE VARIOUS MARKS. USE THE “MONTHLY IRRIGATION SCHEDULE”* TO DETERMINE HOW OFTEN TO APPLY IRRIGATION TO YOUR YARD. ADJUST YOUR SPRINKLING SYSTEM TIMER OR WATERING HABITS TO CONFORM WITH THE GUIDE. THIS IRRIGATION TABLE IS SPECIFIC FOR UTAH COUNTY.

MONTHLY IRRIGATION SCHEDULE FOR UTAH COUNTY, UTAH
MONTH IRRIGATION INTERVALS
½” APPLICATION ¾” APPLICATION 1” APPLICATION
MARCH -- -- --
APRIL Once every 6 days Once every 8 days Once every 10 days
MAY Once every 4 days Once every 5 days Once every 7 days
JUNE Once every 3 days Once every 4 days Once every 6 days
JULY Once every 3 days Once every 4 days Once every 6 days
AUGUST Once every 3 days Once every 5 days Once every 7 days
SEPTEMBER Once every 5 days Once every 7 days Once every 9 days
OCTOBER Once every 9 days Once every 11 days Once every 17 days
NOVEMBER -- -- --

*Source: U.S. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION

Lehi Residence Notepad Design

Although we have a professional landscape architect to design a yard that will compliment your home, you can design your yard however you like. Also, you can request your yard suit needs that are specific to your family and our designer can create a layout to attend to your specifications. This particular design was done by Karl Kuhni and the homeowner in a collaborative effort.

Lehi Residence Completed

We finished the back yard of this residence last week. The front yard, pictured above, was installed two years ago. With a back yard like this, it is like having your own resort.

This view is of the fire pit sitting area with a water feature behind it. Guests can enjoy the sound of trickling water while sitting around the fire.

The swimming pool has dark gray plaster, giving the water a deeper color of blue. Most swimming pools have white plaster giving the pool water a light blue cast.

Stepping stones leading to the swimming pool.This is the barbeque area, complete with a drinking fountain. There is also another water fountain by the stairs leading to the deck above.The two gazebos sit in front of a custom Bocce ball court. Click on the picture for a close-up.
Under the gazebo on the left is the dining area. The gazebo on the right shelters another comfortable sitting area.

View of the dining gazebo.

View under the sitting area gazebo. The homeowner is great with accessorizing and bringing their personality from the inside of the home to the outside.

Doesn't this remind you of sitting poolside at a posh resort? And it is really just steps away from your back door.

Stepping stones lead past the hot tub to the front yard.

The fire pit area is shaded by an umbrella during the day.

The water feature is a core drilled stone. The water travels into a concealed pondless tank and recirculates back to the core drilled stone.

How nice would it be to spend a relaxing evening after swimming sitting next to a cozy fire?

View from the fire pit looking toward the gazebos.

Lehi Residence Progress Photos

The cement pads for the two gazebos have been poured.

This is the cement pad for the fire pit sitting area.

Two more cement pads will be poured on the far side of the pool for lounge chair sitting areas.

Pleasant Grove Residence Continued

One of the many things that makes this yard great, is having different sitting areas like this paver patio, placed throughout the yard. Natural gas fire pit surrounded by stamped concrete.

The custom pergola provides shade for entertaining or just sitting poolside.

The hot tub and fire pit are next to the pool. The fire pit adds ambience to evening entertaining.

Lehi Residence Preview

This pool was filled last week, just in time for the hot weekend. Plans for this contemporary back yard include: an outdoor kitchen/barbeque area, two gazebos, fountains, fire pit, and several sitting areas. Keep checking back for photographs of the completed project.

Example of our work

This homeowner wanted a French garden that include herb gardens, cobble walkways and a dog run. The style is very elegant and invites people to linger outside. The use of color in the plant materials really gives a pop to the yard. I like the use of planter beds as well as different sizes and heights of pots to keep the eye moving and not just at ground level.

Outdoor living spaces can really define an area as an extention of a home. Here are two different spaces that extend the home outside. One is attached to the home and the other is detached. Both create different feelings and views of the yard that help the family use the outdoors for an extended entertaining area.

Plant materials can help define different sections of a yard as well as provide a screen between neighbors. These trees will grow above the fence line and will give a soft screen that will also provide shade to the yard. The flowers below create a dividing line from the pool area to the archway of pear trees defining the new area in a colorful and beautiful way.

If you do not like the look of concrete then the use of a pavers can help give a hardscape area without the concrete look.